Marks & Spencer's Website and CRM Strategies in Digital Business

This report provides an analysis of Marks & Spencer's digital business management strategies, focusing on their website and customer relationship management (CRM) approaches. It assesses the company's online presence across various platforms, highlighting strengths and areas for impro...Read More

Digital Business
Management

Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................................3
Website and Customer Relationship management (CRM) strategies online of Marks and Spencer........3
Assessment of company’s online presence..............................................................................................4
Recommendations for improving the Internet marketing/electronic customer relationship management 5
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Digital business management can be defined as the use of technology in order to create
new value in existing business models, customer experiences as well as the internal operations of
a business (Ahmad and et.al., 2021). Digital businesses offer new ways to connect, collaborate as
well as conduct business to companies as well as individuals. There are different strategies that
businesses today implement in order to enhance their business operations online. Organization
chosen for this report is Marks and Spencer, which is a multinational retailer of clothing as well
as household products. the company was founded in the year 1884 by Michael Marks and
Thomas Spencer. The company is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The respective
report will explain the selected company’s online presence on various online channels as well as
its CRM strategies. Apart from this, there is also an explanation about different concepts related
to Internet marketing as well as recommendations for improving the same.
MAIN BODY
Website and Customer Relationship management (CRM) strategies online of Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencer is one of the world’s leading retailers that offers high quality products
to the customers. Not only this, the company has also a large base of loyal customers. The
company has a strong presence online across different geographic locations. Different customers
have different preferences and it can be said that it is important to make sure that the website of
an organization is design in such a way that the customers are able to use the same (Arrigo,
2021). Marks and Spencer has a website of its own wherein the customers get an understanding
about the products as well as services that hare offered by the company. The respective company
currently has a well-structured website wherein the customers can browse through the website
easily. The company has kept in mind that the users are comfortable in browsing through the
website and that the different products as well as services are displayed in an effective manner.
Having a well-designed website is what has helped the company in attracting a greater number of
potential customers.
The management of Marks and Spencer is focused on ensuring that the website is
reviewed from time to time and there is innovation as well. One of the other things is that the
company considers its customers to be one of the most important assets for its overall success.

This is why the company has implemented customer relationship management that has helped it
in engaging with the customers effectively as well a s managing their preferences as well.
Currently, the company has specified its customer relationship management goals to ensure that
they are achieved in an effective manner. Also, the company is also inclined towards providing
personalized customer experiences (Chen and et.al., 2021). This is because a strong CRM
strategy can help in enhancing the overall performance as well as brand image of the firm,
helping it to stay relevant in the industry. in order to provide personalized experiences to the
customers, Marks and Spencer conducts surveys that help it in understanding the preferences of
the customers and thus, satisfying their needs in an effective manner. one of the other current
CRM strategies of Marks and Spencer is that it has an active as well as engaged online
community. Besides this, the company also has various online loyalty programs that have helped
it in enhancing its engagement with the customers.
It can be said that having a strong as well as well-planned CRM strategy can significantly
contribute to the overall success of an organization. The various that are conducted by Marks and
Spencer are also reviewed by the company from time to time to identify and address any
modifications. Customer relationship management has also helped the company in tracking as
well as analyzing the behavior of the customers (Conde and Wasiq, 2021). As a result, it has
been able to develop as well as implement effective strategies and make informed decisions.
Marks and Spencer has tailored its marketing as well as customer relationship strategy as per the
target market. this is mainly because the company has a large base of loyal customers across
different geographic locations. Thus, these are some of the current online website as well as
customer relationship management strategies of the respective company, Marks and Spencer that
have helped it in enhancing its business operations as well as stay relevant in the market.
Assessment of company’s online presence
Marks and Spencer operates across nearly 1400 stores in 57 different countries and apart
from this, it now has an online presence in various markets. The company sells its products as
well as services online through its online website. It can be said that having an online website is
an important aspect for any firm because it helps in increasing overall sales as well as attract a
greater number of customers. Marks and Spencer not only launches its products in retail stores,
but also on its website wherein them customers can make a purchase by paying online. The

orders that are placed by the customers online, are fulfilled through the company’s established
distribution network which ensures that the products are delivered to the customers on time
without any delay (Marks & Spencer ‘Turbocharges’ Online Business with 46 New International
Websites, 2021). During the pandemic, the company saw a significant splurge in its online sales
and this also contributed to its overall increment in sales. Apart from this, the company currently
has plans to expand its online presence to many new markets. It can be said that the company
currently has a significant level of online presence and can work on developing new strategies
that can help it in enhancing as well as strengthening its online presence (Goldman and et.al.,
2021). On analyzing the online presence of the company, it has also been found that the company
has presence across different platforms of social media such as Twitter, Instagram as well as
Facebook wherein the company uploads stories as well as posts about its existing as well as new
products and services to create awareness among the customers. Not only this, having an online
presence has helped the company in reaching out to a greater number of customers.
Organizations today prefer having a strong online presence so as to engage with the
customers as well as develop an understanding about their preferences as well as needs in a
significant manner. Also, the customers are able to interact with the brand in an effective manner
and get their issues or queries resolved in a proper manner. The respective company has a
dedicated team that works specifically towards enhancing its online presence. The team develops
different strategies as well as plans that are implemented in an effective manner to achieve the
estimated goals and objectives in an effective manner. the company keeps its online reviews up
to dates and is responsive to the feedbacks as well as any concerns that are raised by the
customers (Komljenovic, 2021). Thus, it can be said that the company is constantly working
towards enhancing as well as strengthening its online presence to a great extent. Thus, it can be
said to be one of the reasons that the company has been able to stay relevant as well as
competitive in the industry even after so many years after it was established.
Recommendations for improving the Internet marketing/electronic customer relationship
management
After assessing the company’s online presence as well as its current online website and
customer relationship management, there are certain recommendations that can be made for the
respective company, Marks and Spencer so that it can enhance its digital operations in an

effective manner. For instance, one of the important recommendations that can be made for the
company is that it should encourage the employees to share their ideas as well as thoughts during
the decision-making process. this is because it will make them feel involved and hence, enhance
overall creativity. Apart from this, it is also recommended that the company focuses on being
much more active on different social media platforms. And this can be done by posting different
updates from time to time as this will help in enhancing overall engagement among customers
and also ensure that there is an increase in the overall sales of the company (Krings, Palmer and
Inversini, 2021). Having a digital presence has become very important over the years for
different businesses because of its various benefits. Another recommendation that can be made
for the respective company is that it should optimize its website so as to increase its online
visibility on different search engines. Any information related to the company as well as its
products and services should be made clear and prominent on the website. It is suggested that the
management of Marks and Spencer should significantly invest in social media and ensure that
the brand stays in touch with the customers through emails. Also, it is recommended that the
company should work on making its online website much more efficient as well as user friendly
so that they are able to get an understanding of the products as well as services of the company. it
is suggested that the company should work on creating a website that is modern as well as
attractive. This is an important recommendation that will help the company in enhancing its
online performance to a great extent.
Besides this, in order to improve internet marketing as well as customer relationship
management, the respective company is recommended to offer free shipping to the customers if
they shop for a certain amount (Rakhmonovna, 2021). Also, it should optimize its search engine
optimization and also, incorporate video marketing into its system. This is effective because it
will help the company in reaching out to a greater number of customers as well as gain their
loyalty by offering them various products as well as services. Apart from this, it is also
recommended that the company should collect as well as use customer data in order to build
lasting relationships with the customers (Soltanifar, Hughes and Göcke, 2021). Apart from this,
it is recommended that the company should choose the most appropriate as well as effective
communication strategy in order to interact with the customers. As a result, it will be able to
capture the attention of the customers and the customers are very likely to remember the brand.
Marks and Spencer is recommended to implement latest technology in its system to make sure

that the business operations are carried out in a smooth manner and that there is an increase in
the overall efficiency of the company as well. There can be many other recommendations as
well, that can be made for the company such all employees should be provided with effective
training related to CRM so that they are able to manage customer relationships in an enhanced
manner by offering them the best service both pre as well as post purchase. This will help in
enhancing the organization’s brand image and ensure that there is an increase in the overall
productivity as well (Sahut, Iandoli and Teulon, 2021). Thus, it can be said that if the respective
company, Marks and Spencer implements these recommendations, it will be able to enhance its
productivity as well as gain a competitive advantage in the market even after being an old brand
within the industry.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that having an online presence has become a
significant part for any organization to stay relevant as well as enhance their engagement with
the customers. This is because it has various benefits such as it helps in enhancing the overall
brand image and also allows the company to reach to a greater number of customers. Not only
this, the company can also address the feedbacks that are raised by the customers in an effective
manner and thus, offer them products in an effective manner. In order to have an online
presence, a company can have its own online website as well as presence across different social
media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram as well as Facebook. Also, in order to enhance its
internet marketing as well as customer relationship management, them company should work on
building lasting relationships with the customers.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Ahmad, A. and et.al., 2021, June. Digital Strategies: A Systematic Literature Review. In The
International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision (pp. 807-822).
Springer, Cham.
Arrigo, E., 2021. Digital platforms in fashion rental: a business model analysis. Journal of
Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal.
Chen, C.L. and et.al., 2021. Role of Government to Enhance Digital Transformation in Small
Service Business. Sustainability, 13(3), p.1028.
Conde, M.A. and Wasiq, S., 2021. Digital Transformation of Business Challenges and Issues in
Developing Countries. Journal of Information Systems and Digital Technologies, 3(1),
pp.65-73.
Goldman, S.P. and et.al., 2021. Strategic orientations and digital marketing tactics in cross-
border e-commerce: Comparing developed and emerging markets. International Small
Business Journal, 39(4), pp.350-371.
Komljenovic, J., 2021. The rise of education rentiers: digital platforms, digital data and rents.
Learning, Media and Technology, pp.1-13.
Krings, W., Palmer, R. and Inversini, A., 2021. Industrial marketing management digital media
optimization for B2B marketing. Industrial Marketing Management, 93, pp.174-186.
Rakhmonovna, M.D., 2021. IMPROVING SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT IN THE
DIGITAL ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT. Psychology and Education Journal, 58(1),
pp.5575-5580.
Sahut, J.M., Iandoli, L. and Teulon, F., 2021. The age of digital entrepreneurship. Small
Business Economics, 56(3), pp.1159-1169.
Soltanifar, M., Hughes, M. and Göcke, L., 2021. Digital Entrepreneurship: Impact on Business
and Society (p. 327). Springer Nature.
Online
Marks & Spencer ‘Turbocharges’ Online Business with 46 New International Websites. 2021.
[Online]. Available through:< https://retailtouchpoints.com/features/news-briefs/marks-
spencer-turbocharges-online-business-with-46-new-international-websites >.